Titanium Grade 4 by powder injection moulding of titanium hydride

This paper presents recent developments on PIM of titanium from metal hydride powders and binders composed of polyethylene, paraffin wax and stearic acid. The feasibility of using this route to process performant, complex parts is assessed. Titanium hydride offers a low cost solution compared with pure titanium powders. Feedstocks for powder injection moulding were prepared in a sigma mixer. Tensile test specimens and demonstration parts were injection moulded. Solvent debinding in heptane was followed by thermal debinding and dehydrogenation under argon. Titanium parts were sintered at 1200°C under argon. Sintered parts exhibit a linear shrinkage of about 20%, good shape preservation and reproducibility. The yield strength (519MPa), ultimate tensile strength (666MPa), elongation to fracture (15%) and interstitial content measured by quantitative analysis meet the requirements for titanium grade 4.